Entrepreneurship and Small Business in the United States: A Gallup Survey Report on the Views of High School Students, the General Public, and Small Business Owners and Managers.

Walstad, William B.

In 1994, a national survey was conducted of high school students, the general public, and small business owners and managers to determine their attitudes regarding entrepreneurship. Telephone surveys were conducted with randomly generated samples of 600 members of the general public, 602 high school students, and 204 business owners and managers. Specifically, the survey sought to determine respondents' perceptions of small businesses compared to large corporations; reasons for, difficulties with, and interests in starting a new business; views regarding principles of free competition and government regulation of business; understanding of entrepreneurship and related educational experience; and opinions regarding the content of entrepreneurship education and its inclusion in high school curricula. Key findings from the survey include the following: (1) 69% of high school students and 50% of the general public expressed an interest in starting a business; (2) with respect to knowledge of entrepreneurship, the student respondents answered only 44% of the related questions correctly, indicating a gap in knowledge; (3) clear majorities in all three groups thought that entrepreneurship and small business education should be provided in high school; and (4) 59% of the students, 73% of the public, and 89% of the business managers expressed a preference for being a small business owner over a large corporation manager. (CELCEE, an adjunct ERIC Clearinghouse on Entrepreneurship Education) (TGI)